Halloween
by Epic Laughter
Summary: Eddie Lizard throws a huge Halloween party and everyone's invited! In the same continuity of my other VP fics. Please enjoy and leave a review if you can!
1. Chapter 1

"Yoto," Avalon sighed as she leaned against the wall next to the door to her surrogate sibling's room. "Remind me again why yew want to go to this silly party in the first place?"

"It's HALLOWEEN!" Yoto's voice called. Avalon heard sounds of frantic zipping and ruffling as Yoto spoke. "I don't care if the party's being thrown by Eddie 'There's-A-Twelve-Pinometer-Stick-Up-My-Butt' Lizard, EVERYONE is going to be there and it's going to be fun!" Yoto's ear-to-ear, excited grin was practically audible. "Besides, I didn't expect Eddie to invite me! I haven't been to a party in a kajillion years and neither have you!"

Avalon sighed. "Yoto, I'll 'ave yew know I've been to many social gatherings in the city to discuss gardening and racing-"

"Those are boring and they don't count!" Yoto's voice was strained as he struggled with the zipper in back of his costume. "You're coming with me to this Halloween party and you're going to have fun, whether you like it or not!" With that, Yoto threw open his door dramatically, narrowly missing smacking Avalon in the face.

Yoto was clad in several shades of blue, a darkly patterned hood and mask covering his head and a cape streaming behind him. He smirked at Avalon and hooked his fingers in his belt. "Whaddaya think, Avvie?"

"PFFT!" Avalon covered her mouth to stifle her snickers. "Sherbatman? _Really, _Yoto?"

"Shut up, you, it's AWESOME!" Yoto planted his hands on his hips. "I wanted to look heroic. Just in case, you know…" his heroic pose faltered and a doofy smile slipped through. "…Storkos shows up."

"Ah, I should 'ave known!" Avalon laughed and patted Yoto on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be impressed if she sees you."

"H-heh, we should get going!" Yoto turned bright red under his cowl and began treading towards the door. "I don't want to get stuck having to walk over with Uncle Loudmouth and Brother Boring."

"A-_hem._"

Yoto groaned and turned his head toward the opposite end of the hallway, where Bart and Yen were standing with rather irritated expressions.

"Quite a rude thing to say about your flesh and blood," Bart, always a fan of irony, was decked out in a bright red suit and fluffy white beard that reached all the way down to his stomach. "We're so upset, we might just walk extra slowly to the party tonight!" Bart feigned sorrow, burying his face in his hands. Yen, wearing a black T-shirt that said 'THIS _IS _MY COSTUME' on it, just shook his head at his brother.

"I didn't mean it, I love you both, you are my wonderful family, now can we go?" Yoto said flatly, running to the end of the hall and tugging his twin's hand. "Come _on."_

"Uncle Bart, let's just go or he won't shut up," Yen swatted Yoto's hand away.

"I can vouch for that," Avalon murmured as she headed for the front door.

"Fine, fine!" Bart threw his hands in the air like he just didn't care.

"YAY!" Yoto darted for the door, his brother and uncle ambling behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

"No," Dastardos said with a quick glare at Pester, most of his attention optimized by the uncooperative Mallowolf he had in a choke hold, a sour sweet in his other hand.

"Yes," Pester glared right back.

"NO," Dastardos shoved his entire arm into the Mallowolf's mouth and it started gagging up a storm.

"YES," Pester crossed his arms, giving Dastardos his most evil squint.

_"N-"_ Dastardos was interrupted by the Mallowolf retching a retch like it had never retched before and vomiting what appeared to be sparkling pink, white, and blue sugar water with bits of paper in it all over the front of Dastardos' sweater, the sour sweet stuck smack in the middle of the splatter. "UGH!" Dastardos let his guard down and the Mallowolf managed to dart off down one of the corridors. "Professor, you made me screw up!" Dastardos leered accusingly at his boss, lashing out at him with one end of his puke-covered scarf.

"Eugh!" Pester dodged quickly and leaned forward with his hands on his hips. "If you would have just AGREED with me, you wouldn't be sitting in that vile mess!"

"I am _NOT_ going to any party," Dastardos threw his scarf off and it landed with a _splat! _on one of Pester's good chairs. "Besides, the Sour population has really thinned out lately and I need to fix that! Don't you WANT there to be more Sours, Pester? Just let me stay here!"

"Dastardos…Dastardos…Dastardos…" Pester would have slipped an arm around Dastardos' shoulders if he wasn't dripping in sugary stomach contents. "No one is going to be around to appreciate them! They'll all be at that skinny little fop's party…and I want to go there too!" Pester rubbed his meaty hands together. "It's Halloween…and Halloween means _candy!"_

"I've seen more than enough candy this evening," Dastardos looked down at his sweater, his mask twisted in disgust. "Not to mention people will be leaving their gardens alone. It's a perfect night to-"

_"No, Dastardos, we're going to this party and that's final,"_ Pester's tone was horribly serious and bone-chillingly cold. It actually made Dastardos shut his mouth…but only for a moment.

Dastardos pulled out his last excuse card. "People will recognize us. We'll get thrown out."

"Don't you fret, I thought of EVERYTHING!" Pester threw his arms out. "As usual!" he added with a smirk. "I'll be wearing a full costume, completely decked out and unrecognizable! And pretty much the most stupefying thing ever, I must say! I have just the thing for you, too!" Pester ran into the other room and came flying back out moments later, one hand holding a witch mask and hat and the other holding a long, black cloth.

"…No," Dastardos backed up.

"Yes!" Pester insisted. "You need new clothes, anyway, do you want to go out looking like _that?"_

"I'd rather go out in a vomit-sweater than a _dress,"_ Dastardos eyed the black garment with immense disdain.

Pester exhaled. "It isn't a _dress,_ it is a _robe,_" Pester threw the costume items at Dastardos' feet. "I better see an evil little witch in this room when I come back if know what's good for yoooou~!"

Dastardos had never heard a more threatening sing-song. He groaned as Pester trounced off to change in whatever insane outfit he had planned for himself. Dastardos discarded his stained sweater and mask, barely believing what he was going to do.

He moved robotically as he put the costume on, barely resisting the urge to tear it up and flee. Once he had snapped the mask's strap to the back of his head, he floated over to the nearest mirror to look at himself. He hunched over like a broken puppet when he saw his reflection.

It was going to be a _looooooooooong_ night.


	3. Chapter 3

The P-Factor Hall was glowing like an orange beacon in the dusky night. The doors were wide open and standing in them were the owner and his son.

Eddie, dressed in a Peckanmix inspired ensemble complete with tail feathers and a headpiece, grinned up at his father. "Okay, so, I greet people for the first twenty minutes and direct them to the banquet hall we usually use for afterparties, right?" He twirled a lock of hair, which was dyed blue for the occasion, around his finger.

"Exactly!" Eddie's father patted him on the shoulder. "We'll take shifts; I'll be back to switch with you in twenty!" He waved goodbye before striding back inside.

Eddie waved back before pulling out his clipboard and pen. Might as well keep track of whoever decided to join them. The party was going to be HUGE, might as well know the exact number of guests he could brag about!

After a few minutes, the guests started trickling in. Eddie greeted them all with a grin and a quick scribble-down of their name.

"Seedos!" he laughed as the resident seed merchant walked up to him, fully decked out as a Swamp Thing in a thousand different shades of slimy green. "I honestly didn't expect you to come…let alone with _her!"_ Eddie pointed his pen at Leena, who was wearing a plaid blue and white dress and carrying a plush Barkbark in a little basket. She fiddled with one of her short, awkward looking braids when Eddie turned his attention onto her.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Seedos squinted and Eddie held up his hands.

"Nothing, no offense intended! I'm just glad you two could make it," Eddie put his pen behind his ear and shook Seedos' slimy hand. "Head to the room where we hold the afterparties. I hope you have a good night!"

"Thanks, I'll try…" Seedos pulled his hand away and nodded at Leena, who smiled and followed him through the door.

As soon as they were out of sight, Eddie made a face and wiped his hand on his pants. When he looked up, he was taken aback by what he saw.

An EXTREMELY large (wo?)man was grinning at him. They had a mouth full of pointy teeth and their hand clamped around someone in a (really shoddy, Eddie thought) witch costume's wrist. The imposing figure was wearing an enormous, feathered coat and hat, a sparkling tank top and shorts, gigantic black, strappy boots, and fishnet tights.

"Um," was all Eddie managed to say for a moment. He gathered his bearings as quickly as he could, pulling his pen from behind his ear. "Good evening…er…who might you be?"

"I'm Priscilla!" The (wo)man placed a hand on the side of her heavily made up mask.

"…Right…and you?" Eddie pointed at the witch and Priscilla gave them an affectionate pat on the hat.

"This is my son…um…George!" Priscilla grinned.

"'Sup," George flapped a hand weakly in greeting, the tip of his hat drooping.

Priscilla leaned a little closer to Eddie. "You'll have to excuse the dress…he's having a bit of an identity crisis, you see." She whispered, concern in her mascara-caked eyes.

"Speak for yourself," George murmured.

"Okay…um…well…" Eddie took a step back and busied himself by scribbling their names down. "Head for where we hold the afterparties for P-Factor. I hope you enjoy yourselves tonight!" He put on the best smile he could manage in this situation.

"Oh, don't you fret, sweetie pie, I will!" Priscilla giggled, giving Eddie's butt a quick squeeze before sashaying into the building.

Eddie yelped and the witch shook his head at him before following his mother inside.

Eddie bit his lip as he watched them head down the hall. He had a bad feeling about those two…

His worrisome thoughts vanished when his beaming father appeared in the doorway.

"My turn!" he announced, snatching the clipboard from Eddie. "Good boy, seems like you got everyone…" he read over the list quickly before giving his son a nod of approval. "Go enjoy yourself, Eddie, I'll take care of this until everyone else arrives."

Eddie's brow furrowed. "Are you sure-"

"One hundred percent!" His father gave him a gentle push inside. "Go have fun. I'll take care of the business here. You almost never let me do my own work, anyway." He winked.

"Okay…fun…that I can do!" Eddie's hands clenched into fists before he took off with determination down the corridor.

Eddie's father chuckled under his breath before turning to welcome Doctor Patchingo to the party.


	4. Chapter 4

The banquet hall was _full_ of people. Halloween was a huge event on Piñata Island, so everyone was dressed up in amazingly impressive costumes. Everywhere one looked in the room, they saw someone decked out in an elaborate, patterned getup. Eddie and his father had outdone themselves with the decorations, too. Orange, black, and purple streamers and lanterns hung from the ceiling and every table had an intricately hand-carved Jack-O-Lantern as a centerpiece. Tables piled with food lined the walls. There was a gigantic dance floor with a DJ booth on the edge of it, too!

Even though the party just started, everyone already seemed to be enjoying themselves. All of the excited chatting among the guests created a joyous din.

Yoto's immensely loud laugh pierced through the buzz of the crowd and echoed all throughout the room.

"GOD, Seedos, I can't believe you actually _GOT_ a Swamp Thing costume! I was just kidding when I suggested that, you know!" Yoto slapped himself on the knee and doubled over, still laughing up a storm.

"What? It's funny!" Seedos flicked one of the fake reeds hanging off of his arm. "And I didn't have any better ideas, so…"

"Ah, of course, you finally admit that my sense of humor is golden!" Yoto wiped his teary eyes with his cape. "I knew you'd come around!"

"I'm not saying _THAT,_ I'm just saying you can come up with something good every once in a while," Seedos rolled his eyes. "You're not completely terrible all the time."

Yoto pulled Seedos into a tight hug and lifted him up off the ground, spinning around twice. "You're in a good mood tonight! It's a miracle!" Yoto squished his face against Seedos', grinning ear to ear.

_"Put me down or my good mood won't last at all,"_ Seedos seethed through clenched teeth.

"Fine," Yoto dropped Seedos and he almost stumbled over. "So, what's gotten you so happy? Is it you-know-who? I know you came in with her!" Yoto gestured to Leena, who was eating a cupcake rather ungracefully, a fleck of orange frosting on the tip of her nose.

"…Can't I just be social without you making comments about my love life?" Seedos' green-trimmed brows rose.

"Just answer the question, Seedos."

"That's none of your business," Seedos turned away from Yoto.

"Aw, come ON-"

"Yoto!" Avalon's voice boomed from a few feet away, a small cup of liquor in her hand. "Sod off."

"Yes, Avvie…" Yoto deflated.

"Thank y-" Seedos' gratitude was drowned out by the microphone squeaking. Half of the partygoers let out a groan and held their heads.

"Sorry about that!" Eddie's amplified voice came from the speakers. He was sitting on the DJ table with his skinny legs crossed, both hands holding onto one of the microphones. The female DJ was shooting him an admiration-filled smile as he spoke. "I just wanted to make a few announcements!"

"Heeeere we go, he's going to talk for an hour," Yoto grumbled to Seedos, elbowing him in the ribs.

"First of all, I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight! It means a lot to me and all the staff here at the P-Factor hall!" Of course, he and his father were pretty much the only staff members who weren't janitors, but he kept that little fact quiet. "I'd also like to thank Arfur's Inn for the fantastic catering…" he squinted and scanned the room. "…even if he doesn't seem to be here yet!" He shrugged and continued on. "For all of you, I've hired a DJ-" He gestured with a flourish to the woman sitting at the table, and she waved enthusiastically. "-who also has karaoke available-"

_"WOO!"_ exclaimed a voice that Eddie was pretty sure belonged to Sahari.

"-so if you want to sing, put your name in!" Eddie knew he would. "We also…have…" Eddie's voice trailed off and his jaw dropped.

"What the hell, is he having a stroke?" Yoto murmured to Seedos.

Seedos shook his head. "Nope. Look," He nodded towards the doorway.

Yoto turned and his jaw dropped too. "_Oh._"

Standing in the doorway was an extremely flustered looking Maxime, her hair half up in a bun and the rest tumbling down her shoulders. She was dressed in an enormously poofy gold dress and matching gloves. Her two older brothers flanked either side of her, both dressed as masked luchadores. One of them donned a smirk, elbowed her in the shoulder, and murmured something once he noticed Eddie's sudden silence. Maxime shoved him away and headed right for the food, her face burning as she ignored the eyes on her.

"Um, where was I? We also have other things and I hope you have fun and Happy Halloween and all that! Good night!" Eddie shoved the microphone back at the slack-jawed DJ and went rushing off to collect his bearings. He couldn't believe he flubbed his announcements. He NEVER flubbed his announcements! He found refuge in a broom closet, drew his knees up to his chest, and attempted to calm down his overpumping heart.

"Heyyyy, Maxime!" Yoto strode over to the newcomer, his arms wide. "You scared Eddie off! Impressive!"

Maxime glared daggers at Yoto and forebodingly bit the head off of a Sherbat-shaped cookie.

"Oh, I see…" Yoto gulped and placed a hand on his neck. "I'll…leave you to your cookie. S'later." He darted back to Seedos and hid behind him. "She's SCARY…not even a cute dress can mask that!" Yoto gripped Seedos' shoulders a bit too tightly. "I have no clue what Eddie even sees in her!"

"She probably wouldn't be scary if you didn't harass her," Seedos sighed. "Actually, I'm sure half of the Island would be nicer to you if you didn't feel a need to make fun of everyone."

"Oh, psh, I'm not taking any advice from The Swamp Thing!" Yoto spun Seedos around and flipped him off.

"Okay, that's it, I'm done with you," Seedos slammed his palm into his forehead and started walking away.

"Your loss, my archnemesis Captain Boring!" Yoto waved Seedos off. "I'll hang out with the COOL PEOPLE." He ran over to Avalon and grinned broadly at her.

Avalon sighed and downed the rest of her drink in one gulp.


	5. Chapter 5

Maxime was sitting at a table, a plate of cookies in front of her. She gnawed on a ghost shaped one and tried to ignore Fannie Franker's ear-churning rendition of _Teenage Dream._

She was reaching for another cookie when she heard her name.

"Maxine!" a squealy voice called as Maxime felt someone slam their hands on the table.

Well, it was almost her name. Maxime raised her eyes and saw Petula, dressed in a Pretztail-inspired garb that was probably intended to be 'sexy.'

"What do you want, Petula?" Maxime didn't even bother to correct her, searching her plate for a Pretztail cookie to mutilate. Sadly, there wasn't a single one. Maxime sighed and rested her face against her hand.

"Have you seen Eddie? I'm, like, DYING to show him my costume!" Petula giggled and stroked her ridiculously short, almost napkin-length skirt.

"Big surprise there…" Maxime grumbled, more than a bit annoyed. She almost felt sorry for Eddie; having to put up with squealing airheads who didn't know the meaning of the word 'no.' "I haven't seen him since the announcements, Petula. He's not too hard to notice, not with that 'fabulous' costume he has on." Maxime rolled her eyes, smirking a bit as she thought of Eddie dressed as the peacock piñata. "You just need to look harder."

"Damn it!" Petula slammed her fist into the table again, nearly causing Maxime's cookies to take off into the air. Maxime snatched the plate and held it on her lap protectively.

"Hey!" Sahari suddenly popped up on the other side of the table, Sparcticus in tow. "You talking about Eddie?" She twirled her fake curly mustache. She was dressed as an old timey villain, complete with top hat, monocle, and dark cloak.

"Huh?" As soon as Petula saw Sparcticus, she had made a big show of adjusting her skimpy top. "Oh yeah, right, Eddie! Have you guys seen him?"

"He…ran outside," Sparcticus gestured towards the huge main doors to the banquet hall. "No clue why."

"Maybe he was looking for YOU!" Sahari winked at Petula, who brightened. "You should go follow him. Go get your man!" Sahari gave Petula a not so gentle shove in the general direction of the door.

Petula squealed. "Oh my God, I TOTALLY will!" She pulled Sahari into a hug. "Thank you soooo much!" She giggled before flouncing off outside.

Maxime put her cookie plate back on the table. "He's not really outside, is he?" She half-smirked at Sahari and Sparcticus.

"Nope!" Sahari practically jumped into the chair next to Maxime. "We just saved your life…and your ears!"

"My ears are still on the line if we get more people doing karaoke like Fannie Franker did," Maxime clasped each side of her head.

Sahari shuddered. "You're right. If only Eddie were out here, he can sing like nobody's business!"

"How do you know?" Sparcticus, still standing, cocked a brow at Sahari.

"I caught him singing in his office once when I went to sign up for a P-Factor round!" Sahari sighed. "He'd repair all the ear damage we received, I'm sure. I wonder where he _actually_ is…"

"He messed his announcements up," Sparcticus crossed his arms. "If I know Eddie, he got embarrassed and he's hiding in the bathroom or a broom closet."

"Then we'll have to look for him!" Sahari grabbed Maxime's hand and rose from her chair. "Come on!"

"No, thanks," Maxime pried her hand out of Sahari's grip. "I'd rather not deal with him right now. I'm ninety-nine percent sure he messed up because of me. He's probably mad."

"I doubt it, but suit yourself," Sparcticus shrugged and Sahari pouted at him.

"You give up too easy, Sparty," she griped. "Fine, Maxime, but the look on his face would be _hilarious_ if he saw you again! You'll be missing out!"

Maxime threw up her hands. "Look, thanks for saving my sanity and everything, but you two can go find Eddie on your own."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Sahari grabbed Sparcticus' hand this time and the uncovered parts of his face flushed dark red. "Let's go, Sparty."

"H-have a good night, Maxime," Sparcticus waved goodbye with his free hand as Sahari led him off.


	6. Chapter 6

Dastardos had found a quiet corner where he could watch everyone without getting too many stares. In fact, he was sure that people were mistaking him for a decoration since the witch mask wasn't magical and stayed completely still no matter what face he pulled. And he pulled quite a few, especially when Pester-sorry, _Priscilla-_strode up to the karaoke stage and sang 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction.'

Dastardos sighed. He wished he could go get drunk or something, but that would require him to lift his stifling mask up and the last thing he needed was for everyone to get a look at his face. Dastardos turned his head to look at the stage to see which 'singer' he'd have to endure next and found himself staring into a pair of scowling, oversized violet eyes.

Dastardos actually jumped a bit and floated backwards.

"What are YOU doing here?" The owner of the eyes, Seedos, squinted even more, his voice a fierce whisper.

"Who the hell are you?" Dastardos glared right back.

"You know _very well_ who I am, and I know _very well_ who you are," Seedos growled.

Dastardos buried his rubbery mask in his hands. Of course Seedos recognized him; after all, they were brothers. A little known fact that the two of them took great pains to _keep_ a little known fact. "Leave me alone," Dastardos grumbled, his voice muffled. "I'm not going to do anything _bad_ tonight, I promise."

"Okay then…" Seedos crossed his arms. "Answer my questions and I'll leave you alone. We can't talk here…come with me." Seedos gestured for Dastardos to follow him and took a few steps forward, scowling over his shoulder when he realized Dastardos wasn't moving. "Oh, I'm sorry, you wouldn't want me to accidentally let slip who you are to Leafos, right…" Seedos walked back to Dastardos and leaned so close to him that he pressed up against the mask's warty nose. "…_bro?"_

Dastardos smacked Seedos impulsively, hitting him square in the nose.

"Ow!" Seedos' hands flew to where Dastardos had struck him. _"Way to stay subtle!"_ he hiss-whispered.

_"You WOULDN'T,"_ Dastardos only just ignored the urge to grab Seedos by the neck and fling him across the room into the apple-bobbing tub. "I'd _kill you."_

"It'd be worth it," Seedos smirked despite the small stream of blood trickling out of one nostril and sliding down his slime-colored face. "What do I have to lose, anyway?"

Dastardos turned around and made a strangling motion with his hands to vent, cursing under his breath. Sometimes he wondered if Seedos was even crazier than he was.

"Is that a 'yes?'" Seedos sounded cocky. Dastardos made a mental note to pop up in his window every single night at midnight for the rest of his life before whipping around to face his brother.

_"Fine,"_ the doofy, frozen grin on Dastardos' witch mask hid his expression of pure loathing. "But make it quick."

"Won't take a minute," Seedos cracked his knuckles and started walking off, Dastardos floating reluctantly behind him, his fists clenched tight as vice grips.

Meanwhile, Sahari and Sparcticus had scoured every bathroom, closet, and office they could find in the building. They stood in front of yet another closet, Sahari wearing a look of extreme determination and Sparcticus wearing a look of intense exasperation.

"I think this is the only place we haven't checked, he's _gotta_ be in there," Sahari whispered, elbowing Sparcticus' hip.

Sparcticus nodded and pressed his ear against the door. "Eeyup, I can hear him sniffling," He took a step back and knocked on the closet door. He heard Eddie gasp. "Calm down, Eddie, it's us."

"'Us?'" Eddie questioned, tightening his arms around his drawn up legs.

"Sparcticus and Sahari!" Sahari shouted, banging on the door. "Now come out of that closet and come back to your party!"

"But-!"

"No excuses, Eddie," Sparcticus said sternly.

"Everyone's already forgotten about you messing up the announcements since a bunch of other people have gone up to do karaoke and embarrassed themselves MUCH worse than you did!" Sahari added. "You missed Leafos trying to sing a soul ballad and rattling the windows."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg…" Sparcticus rubbed his temples at the ear-raping memories.

"You come out of there and sing; I _know_ you'll do awesome and everyone will remember that you're almost always fantastic in the spotlight!" Sahari let admiration creep into her voice and Sparcticus felt a small stab of envy.

"You know what?" The door of the closet swung open and Eddie strode out. "I'm done moping around. I _shouldn't_ mope around!" Eddie preened his tail feathers. "You two are right. I've got a crowd to impress!" He grinned a grin twice as sparkly as his costume and strode back towards the party.

"You've got quite a few people in front of you, though," Sahari pattered after him. "We'll hang out with you until you're up!" She slipped her arm through Eddie's and grinned up at him. "We'll keep you nice and distracted!"

"You coming, Sparcticus?" Eddie looked over his shoulder at the much taller man.

"Yes, yes I am…" Sparcticus hoped Sahari and Eddie would mistake his envy-induced gloom for dread at the prospect of hearing more abysmal singing.

Once the three of them reached the door to enter the party again, they nearly collided with Seedos.

"Oops, excuse us," Seedos sidled by them, the weird witch following behind him.

Eddie tilted a brow. He should have figured those two knew each other; weirdoes always seemed to attract other weirdoes. He shook his head and paid it no mind as he and his friends headed back into the party.

"Okay, good," Seedos pushed the door shut with his shoulder. "No one will hear us out here." He put his ear against the door and made a face. "Good thing we left when we did; I can hear Petula trying to rap in there."

"Ask what you need to and get it over with," Dastardos growled.

Seedos snickered and quickly covered his mouth to stifle himself. "I'm sorry, but I can't take you seriously with that mask on."

"FINE," Dastardos just wanted that damn thing off at this point. He yanked the witch mask off, revealing terribly messy bangs plastered to his forehead with sweat. He glared at Seedos with eyes that were more dark-rimmed than usual. "Happy?" he snarled as he threw the mask aside.

"Huh, you didn't change much," Seedos blinked, looking almost amazed. This was the wrong thing to say. Dastardos clenched his fists and decided that he'd beat his brother within an inch of his life one of these days.

Seedos must have sensed Dastardos' anger because he immediately changed the subject. "I'll ask my first question again…what in the world are you doing here? In a dress, even?"

"It's a robe," Dastardos grumbled. Dastardos didn't think he'd be asked why he was there the whole time he was at the party, so he hadn't come up with an excuse story. He looked down at his 'robe' and scrunched some of the fabric in one of his hands. "Do you want the truth?"

"Please."

Dastardos took a deep breath and let it out, not believing that he was about to spill his guts to his dorky little brother. He found himself doing it anyway, not skipping a single detail, not even the Mallowolf throwing up on him, being forced to dress up as a ridiculous-looking witch, or Pester striding out of his lair dressed as a woman.

"Wait, so that lady who sang was-" Seedos' brow practically flew into his hairline. "_Eeew."_

"You're telling me," Dastardos finally looked up. "Anyway, Pester wanted candy so he dragged me here. I have _no idea_ why he wanted to take me. He probably just wanted to put me through hell or something." Dastardos gave his discarded mask a hatred-filled glance. "Like he doesn't already do that every day…" he muttered, his teeth clenched.

"Ah, that brings me to my other question," Seedos steepled his fingers awkwardly. "…What have you been up to lately?" he asked after a pause.

Dastardos crossed his arms. "Why do you even care?"

Seedos sighed. "Look, Dastardos, you're my brother. No matter what happens, I can't bring myself to hate you. I kind of worry about you sometimes," he admitted. His forehead was creased as he made eye contact with Dastardos.

Dastardos felt his heart twist. He swallowed and averted his gaze. "…That's none of your business."

"Eh, I tried!" Seedos threw up his hands. "You're harder to crack than a Shellybean shell! Not that I've tried that or anything…"

"I have," Dastardos pushed by Seedos and attempted to grab onto the door handle. "Now can you PLEASE let me go back to my corner?"

"WAIT!" Seedos threw himself in front of the door.

"What now?" Dastardos groaned.

"You're about to go out there without a mask," Seedos stepped forward and picked up Dastardos' silly witch mask, holding it out to him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would cause you a whole lot of problems." Seedos was actually smiling.

Dastardos wordlessly snatched the mask from his brother's hand and snapped it back on. He yanked one of the doors open and drifted back into the party.

"Hmph, you're welcome," Seedos murmured, waiting a few seconds before heading out himself.


	7. Chapter 7

Sparcticus, Eddie, and Sahari were standing near a food table, their eyes on the karaoke stage. Doctor Patchingo was singing his heart out and capturing the attention of pretty much every female in the room, even 'Priscilla.'

"Hey Eddie, what's that face for?" Sparcticus took a bite of an apple. "He sounds good to me."

"His breathing is all wrong!" Eddie said in a frenzied whisper. "Ugh, it's driving me crazy…"

"Geez, Ed, you're too tough a critic," Sahari gave Eddie a playful slap on the arm. "Don't say bad stuff about me when I go up to sing!"

"I'll try!" Eddie laughed and Sahari smacked him again.

Sparcticus cleared his throat. "What are you going to sing, Eddie?" he asked the only question he could think of; hoping to end Eddie and Sahari's little slap fight.

"A song by Mama Monster," Eddie beamed, his eyes glazing over in adoration.

"Who now?" Sparcticus said, completely confused. He never got an answer because he was drowned out by Sahari's terrible laughter.

"Wow, how appropriate!" Sahari flicked one of Eddie's tail feathers.

Sparcticus fought off the urge to sigh and bit his apple a little too hard. He didn't get it. He liked Eddie and he liked Sahari. Yet, for some reason, he felt a small stab in his chest whenever the two of them joked around together. What was-?

He was interrupted by Eddie's father dashing up to them, a festive looking orange and black camera in one of his hands. "Say cheese, you three!" He held the camera up and grinned.

Sahari and Eddie both threw their arms around Sparcticus and obliged, smiling broadly at the lens. Sparcticus, still with a mouthful of apple, looked horribly confused as the camera flashed.

"Geez…" Sparcticus rubbed his eyes after Eddie and Sahari got off of him.

Eddie's dad burst into raucous laughter as he looked at the back of the camera. "Oh my, that one's going up on the website for sure!" He patted Eddie on the head before running off to take a picture of Doctor Patchingo, who was taking a bow after finishing his song.

What Eddie's dad wound up taking a picture of was Patch being hit on the head with a cupcake. Patch glared in the direction it came from, only to find what looked like a witch decoration in an extremely innocent pose. Patch sighed and decided to drop the matter; the culprit had obviously already escaped.

Dastardos smirked to himself, quietly thinking about how much he would like to frame that picture and hang it over his bed.

Meanwhile, Yoto had left Avalon alone after spending twenty minutes listening to her talk to Bart about betting on piñata races. Once Yoto was sufficiently bored to tears, he started to wander around the party aimlessly. His felt his heart lurch when he heard someone say: "Hello, Storkos?"

Yoto turned towards the voice and saw Langston sitting atop a table, leaning against the centerpiece, a pumpkin with a Sour Sherbat face carved into it. Langston was dressed as the famed piñata movie character, James Pond, the slick, suave Lickatoad secret agent who had a knack for adventure and being held against the ample bosoms of beautiful human women. He was talking on his Alert System.

Yoto would have been able to tell Langston was talking to Storkos even if he didn't hear him say her name. Langston had the tired, agitated look one only had when they were talking to a complaining employee. Yoto had seen that look on his uncle's mask many, many times.

Yoto subtly edged closer to Langston's table until he was within good eavesdropping range.

"Two whole hours without any eggs? Are you SURE?" Langston put his free stubby hand on his hip. "Storkos, not EVERY one of our clients are here! Um…" Langston scanned the room, mumbling something under his breath. Yoto made sure to pointedly look away when the frog piñata's eyes went over him. After about a minute, Langston's face fell. "…huh. Maybe they ARE all here…"

Yoto could actually hear Storkos' raised voice on the other end of the line. Sure, it sounded completely garbled to him, but that was enough to put a lovesick smile on his face.

"Okay, FINE, Storkos, you can have a break!" Langston wore a look of complete and utter defeat. His eyes suddenly widened and he held the Alert System far away from his 'ear.' Yoto could hear what sounded like thunderous cheering coming from the device. Langston raised his voice in a vain attempt to drown Storkos out. "BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE DELIVERIES IF YOU NEED TO! GOT IT?" Langston calmed down and paused for Storkos to talk. "Okay, glad you understand, see you in a few minutes." He hung up his Alert System and, much to Yoto's surprise, he swallowed it.

_Huh, he must keep it in his candy cavity…_ Yoto grimaced. _Ugh. I'm never borrowing that thing from him no matter how much I might need it._

_Wait a second…_ Yoto's jaw dropped right to the ground as what Langston said sank in. _Storkos is coming! Here! To the same party as me!_

"Hey, you, what are you gawking at?" Langston pointed an arm stump at Yoto. "Never seen a Lickatoad in a tuxedo before? Well, let me tell you, you missed out on some good movies!"

"Uh, sorry, I just…" It was really hard to talk when your heart felt like it leapt into your throat. Yoto swallowed. "Oh, geez, I think I hear Avalon calling. S'later!" Yoto turned around in a swirl of cape and went rushing back to where his best friend was.

Avalon looked up to see Yoto shoving by people on his way to get to her, pushing Petula aside a bit harder than everyone else.

"AVVIE!" Yoto finally got to her and doubled over, panting. "Guess…what…?"

"Yew slipped something into Langston's cupcake?" Avalon guessed, planting her hands on her hips.

"No…!" Yoto straightened and his eyes widened. "Storkos is coming. She's coming _here._ SOON."

"That's _great!"_ Avalon smiled, patting Yoto on the shoulder.

"No, it _isn't!"_ Yoto gently pushed Avalon's hand away. "I'm not prepared. I'll make a fool of myself…oh man, I can't remember if I put my name in to sing or not…!" Yoto pulled one of his gloves off to chew on his nails. "She can't hear me sing, she'll _hate _me…!"

"YOTO," Avalon grabbed onto Yoto's shoulders to steady him. "Calm. Down. This IS great! Yew 'ardly ever get chances to talk to 'er!"

A look of horror suddenly appeared on Yoto's face. _"What if Seedos tells her that I flipped him off?"_

Avalon responded by hitting Yoto on the head.

"…Thanks Avvie," Yoto said after a moment, rubbing the top of his cowl. "I needed that…" He took a deep breath and let it out.

"Atta boy," Avalon kneaded his shoulders a bit. "Just be yourself-well, be a bit nicer than yew usually are- and I'm sure yew will make a fantastic impression!"

"Are you SURE?" Yoto gazed up at Avalon with dewy, worried eyes.

"One 'undred percent, kiddo," Avalon let a half-smile cross her face.

Yoto choked on a joyous sob and pulled Avalon into an enormous hug. "Thanks, Avvie!"

Avalon chuckled and returned the hug, giving Yoto a pat on the back. "Any time. Yew go get 'er!"

"Uh, she's not here quite-" Suddenly, the front doors swung open.

Standing in the doorway was the very girl Yoto had been both dreading and wanting to see. Yoto quickly pulled away from Avalon and gawked.

Storkos was wearing several shades of blue, a darkly patterned cowl covering her head and a cape streaming behind-

"Oh my God, she's Sherbatgirl," Yoto's jaw was back on the floor.

"Okay, this can only be fate, Yoto," Avalon planted a boot on his butt to encourage him forward. "Go talk to 'er!"

Yoto swallowed loudly and nodded, his face turning bright red. He took a few wobbly steps forward when Storkos suddenly made eye contact with him from across the room and lit up.

She literally flew across the room towards Yoto, looking absolutely overjoyed. Yoto stayed rooted to his spot, his eyes getting wider the closer Storkos got to him.

"Hey, I know you!" she laughed as she came to a landing right in front of Yoto, who was trying desperately to not gawk like some kind of stupid Sarsgorilla.

"You do? Uh, yeah, we've spoken, I'm-" Yoto grabbed onto his cape and swung it around nervously.

"Yoto, right?" Storkos' tone was extremely friendly. "Nice costume! Wish I had thought of it!" She laughed and winked at Yoto, who lost his footing for a moment and almost fell over.

"Ahh, t-t-thank you!" Yoto finally found his voice, although he was stuttering as much as Doctor Patchingo. He gulped and added: "It looks better on you, since you're a _real_ superhero and all…" Yoto blushed. _Also, man oh man, a skintight costume looks a lot better on you than it does on me…_ he ached to add, his eyes sneaking a quick glance downward at Storkos' generous hips.

Storkos thanked him and gasped when the beat to the next song started. "I love this song…I haven't heard it in _ages!"_

Yoto cast a glance at the stage and saw that Sahari was the one holding the microphone. Yoto bit his lip and looked back at Storkos. "This is karaoke, though, so it might not-"

"Oh, I don't care!" Storkos smiled. "I love karaoke; I don't care how the singers sound! I just love knowing that they're having fun!" She grabbed Yoto's hand and he felt every last part of his body stiffen. "Come on, let's dance!"

"I'd _love_ to!" Yoto found himself saying, his voice a little strained with nerves. "But…uh…I'm not the best dancer in the world…"

"That's okay!" Storkos let out another cheerful laugh, giving Yoto's hand a playful squeeze. "Neither am I!"

Avalon watched proudly from the sidelines as Storkos led Yoto to the dance floor. Avalon smiled and shook her head at Yoto's look of complete and utter lovesickness. She half expected him to start panting like a Barkbark. Sure, the two of them were both dancing hilariously spastically, Storkos almost knocking Yoto over twice, but it made Avalon happy to see Yoto actually spending time with the girl of his dreams.

"Sahari's not too bad, huh?" Yoto smiled before Storkos spun him around a bit too fast.

"She's great, actually!" Storkos steadied Yoto and gave him a moment to regain his footing. "Lots of energy! Just what I like to hear!"

Yoto began to stop dreading the possibility of Storkos hearing him sing. He might sing _much _louder than the average person, but did have energy!

"Hey, do you sing?" Storkos asked as she shimmied her hips to the beat.

"…what?" Yoto got distracted momentarily by Storkos' dance move. "Sort of! It's fun, but I'm not-"

"No excuses!" Storkos put her hands on Yoto's shoulders. "You think singing's fun and so do I!" She moved closer to him, an expectant smile on her full lips. "Do you wanna sing a duet later?"

Yoto felt something in his brain pop when Storkos got closer to him. _I-is it getting warm in here?_

"You don't have stage fright, do you?" Storkos teased.

"Of course not!" Yoto shook his head vigorously. "I'd love to sing with you, believe me, you have no idea!"

"_Yessss!"_ Storkos pumped a fist in the air in victory. "I'll get us a songbook when this one's over! We can hang out for a while if you want, too!"

"Yes, yes, I want!" Yoto's tone was saturated with amazement.

"Awesome!" Storkos' grateful smile melted Yoto's heart.

Yoto barely resisted the urge to jump in the air and scream out of sheer joy. _I'm…going to hang out…with STORKOS!_ Yoto's dancing suddenly became a lot more energetic.


	8. Chapter 8

Sahari came thundering off the stage when she finished her song, jumping into a seat between Sparcticus and Eddie. "How'd I do, guys? Awesome, right?" She cocked a confident brow, smirking at Eddie.

"Well, I'm always a fan of Copacabana, but…" Eddie began ticking off his fingers. "…you went flat on a few of the more difficult notes, your breaths were a little too sharp, and you didn't sing from your diaph-mmph!" Eddie was silenced by Sahari covering his mouth.

"Okay, that's enough out of you, Captain Critic," Sahari looked at Sparcticus expectantly. "What did _you_ think, big guy?"

"I thought it was really good…" Sparcticus scratched his head. "I don't know much about technical singing, but you sure looked happy up there. I've always liked your voice too; it was pretty interesting hearing you sing…" he admitted.

"Awwww!" Sahari leaned over to give Sparcticus a hug, giving him a small dizzy spell at her touch. She glanced back at Eddie and stuck her tongue out at him. "At least _someone _knows how to make their friend happy!"

"I'd like to see you do better, Eddie," Sparcticus challenged.

"Oh, you will, you will," Eddie gave his blue bangs a quick, confident flip.

"Okay, next up is one of our hosts, Eddie Lizard!" the DJ said excitedly into her microphone.

"Right on cue!" Eddie rose from his seat and headed over.

"This is going to be _good,"_ Sahari released Sparcticus from her embrace and spun her chair around to face the stage.

The crowd burst into roaring applause before Eddie had even grabbed the microphone. Petula let out a loud, excited shriek that nearly made the entire building start shaking.

Maxime rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help leaning forward a bit in curiosity.

Eddie shut his eyes as he took a deep breath and let it out. When the song's intro stated, he opened his eyes and settled them onto Maxime.

_Time to show her what I can do!_ Eddie thought, grinning. He didn't take his eyes off her as he began to sing the first verse.

_"There ain't no reason you and me should be alone tonight, yeah baby, tonight, yeah baby…"_ Eddie's singing caused the applause to get louder and he felt his heart swell. _"I've got a reason that you're who should take me home tonight…"_

Maxime made a point of shifting and averting her eyes. She was impressed with Eddie's voice, sure, but it made her feel weird to be sung to.

Eddie felt a pang of disappointment, but he didn't let it get to him. There were plenty of other people in the audience, after all!

_"It's hot to feel the rush…to push the dangerous…"_ Eddie favored Petula, who was practically having spasms, with a wink. She gasped, her eyes rolled back, and she actually collapsed. Doctor Patchingo rushed over to her side and began fanning her with a paper plate.

_"I'm on the edge, of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment of truth!" _Eddie found it extremely marvelous that he managed to keep the entire crowd's attention even if someone just fainted. He felt his ego grow three sizes that day. _"Out on the edge, of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you!"_

_"I'm on the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the EDGE!"_

"I dunno, Storkos, do you think he's on the edge?" Yoto whispered to Storkos, who was seated next to him with a songbook open in her lap. She had to stifle a laugh and she elbowed Yoto in the ribs.

_"Another shot before we kiss the other side, tonight, yeah baby, tonight, yeah baby!"_

As Eddie sang on, Sparcticus felt more and more dread blooming in his chest. He glanced over at Sahari and found her with her face in her hands, her eyes on Eddie and glazed with admiration…or was it adoration?

Sparcticus huffed and slouched in his chair a bit. He wasn't sure which one would be worse.

_"Turn around…look at what you seeeee-eeeee-eeee…"_ Eddie's eyes were on Maxime again. Much to his delight, she actually looked up at him. _"In your face, I'm on the edge, I'm on…"_ The brief flicker of an impressed smile on Maxime's face gave Eddie the inspiration he needed to hit the high note at the end of the song flawlessly.

"Thank you!" he grinned at the crowd, but he felt like his gratitude went mostly to Maxime. _Maybe she'll be easier to approach now that I did something that impressed her…_ Eddie's amorous thoughts evaporated when he heard all of the partygoers start applauding. Eddie gave a flourishing bow and his father, who had been snapping photos all throughout his son's performance, took one last snapshot.

Eddie headed back to his seat next to Sahari but was stopped mid-stride by a freshly conscious Petula.

"Oh my gosh, I can't _believe _I missed you singing!" Petula sounded like she was about to cry. "You're gonna sing again later, right?"

"Probably!" Eddie forced a smile and tried to edge around her, but she stepped into his path again.

"Oh, that's awesome!" Petula giggled, bouncing enthusiastically. "OH, and Eddiekins, I totally forgot to ask you! What do you think of my costume?" She posed in a cheap imitation of the glamorous women in magazines, her hands on her hips and her lips pursed.

Eddie gave her a quick once-over. This was her costume? It was just a Pretztail mask, two strips of vaguely Pretztail-patterned fabric, and oversized gogo-boots. Petula's eyes were glimmering as she anticipated Eddie's answer. Fine, if he said something maybe she'd leave him alone.

"It's very…stripperific, Petula, now excuse me…" Eddie gently brushed her aside and she sighed at his touch, too enthralled that he actually spoke to her to notice what he really said.

"Sorry, guys," Eddie slid back into his seat. "I would have come back sooner, but Petula stopped me."

"Pfft!" Sahari laughed and shot Petula a mocking glance. "Don't you worry about Paulina Pretztail. She isn't worth your time."

Sparcticus just fiddled with his hands.

"Well, I know someone who _is_ worth my time…" Eddie said, an affectionate tone in his voice.

"Oh, really?" Sahari scooted her chair closer. "Who?"  
>"Okay, I need a drink," Sparcticus slammed his hands on the table, hoisted himself up, and headed to the bar, his heart twisting.<p>

Sahari and Eddie watched Sparcticus leave, both of them raising a brow.

"All right…I have no idea what_ that_ was about…" Eddie shook his head. "But anyway…as I was saying…" He folded his hands under his chin. "I don't know if you know this, but…" Eddie gestured for Sahari to move closer and she obliged. He looked around and leaned forward, lowering his voice to a whisper. _"I'm head over heels for Maxime. That song I sang was completely aimed at her!"_

"Well, duh," Sahari leaned back, looking a bit disappointed. "You were staring right at her the whole time. Not to mention your eyes go all sparkly whenever someone so much as says her name."

Eddie deflated, his cheeks turning pink. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Very," Sahari nodded. "It's also really obvious that she doesn't share those silly feelings of yours. I don't know if you can see her face when she's judging P-Factor rounds that you're competing in, but she always rolls her eyes when you're showing off."

"Okay, one, my feelings aren't silly," Eddie squinted at Sahari. "And two, I'm not as show-offy in normal conversation as I am when I'm under a spotlight…right?"

"It depends on who you're talking to," Sahari crossed her arms. "You're all casual with your friends, but you drop names and brag about your job and your piñata-rearing skills to everyone you don't know as well."

Eddie's eyes widened. He didn't know that was wrong. "Well, I want them to be interested in what I have to say, so-"

"You don't have to brag to get people interested in you! You're a good guy underneath it all, and have you _seen _yourself?" Sahari poked Eddie on the chin. "_Total_ knockout. No wonder half the girls in town have it bad for you, you look great even when you're dressed like that."

"I don't know if I should trust your judgment, Sahari, considering you went out in public with a mustache on…" Eddie half-smirked at Sahari and she smacked him on the arm. "Okay, okay, I believe you. So…I should just approach Maxime casually and try to not talk about myself?"

"Exactly!" Sahari nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes I will!" Eddie stood up and gazed off towards Maxime's table, his face immediately falling into a look of disappointment. "Patch seems to have beaten me…"

Doctor Patchingo, who was dressed as Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, ironically enough, was leaning against the table Maxime was sitting at, laughing and talking with her. Judging by the giant, sweeping arm gestures Maxime was making, Eddie assumed they were talking about piñatas…at least he hoped they were.

"He's dressed as Gaston. How hilarious," Eddie pulled at his feathered collar. "The beast gets the girl in the end, though…! Does a Peckanmix count as a beast, Sahari?"

"It does if you want it to!" Sahari gave Eddie a not-so-gentle push in Maxime's direction. "Look, who cares if Patch is there, talk to them both. Ease Maxime in with friendship if you have to! Don't smack her in the face with the mushy stuff!"

"O-okay, gotcha…" Eddie gave Sahari a nervous grin before heading over.

"Go get 'er, Tigermisu!" Sahari called after him.


	9. Chapter 9

Meanwhile, Sparcticus was still feeling strange.

He thought having a drink or two would help that stupid, tight feeling in his chest go away, but he found that it got even worse as he watched Eddie and Sahari talk to each other. What was wrong with him?

_Oh well,_ Sparcticus thought as he raised a second glass of liquor to his lips. _Maybe it'll pass. It could just be heartburn or-_

"YOU LOOK DOWN, MY FRIEND!" a shouting, echoing voice that sounded a bit far away came out of nowhere, startling Sparcticus and causing him to spit out his drink. He covered his mouth with his hand and searched for the source of the voice.

"DOWN HERE!" the voice called again. It was then Sparcticus realized he was standing next to a well with a little string of Jack-O-Lantern lights around it. That was odd…he didn't remember there being a well in the room before…why would you even need a well in a banquet hall?

Sparcticus took a step closer and peered down the well. "Um…is someone down there?"

"IVOR BARGAIN!" the voice in the well boomed and Sparcticus furrowed his brow. He knew that name. That was the trader who disappeared two years ago…was he down this well the whole time?

"Um…do you need some help? I could ask Eddie's father if he has a ladder or-"

"NO, I AM QUITE ALL RIGHT; I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED, MY FRIEND!" Ivor called up from the well. "BUT DO_ YOU_ HAVE EVERYTHING _YOU _NEED?"

"…what?" Sparcticus said, his voice flat.

"I CAN SEE YOU WITH MY PINATA VISION CAMERA, MY FRIEND!" Ivor yelled. Sparcticus noticed a little weird white, square thing with a black dot in the middle attached to the well's canopy. "YOU LOOK TROUBLED! SINCE I HAVE BEEN TRAPPED DOWN THIS WELL, I HAVE HELPED PEOPLE WITH THEIR TROUBLES! I OFFER ADVICE TO THOSE WHO NEED IT AND YOU LOOK LIKE YOU NEED IT!"

"…really?" Sparcticus looked right at the thing that Ivor could somehow see him with and raised a skeptical brow, crossing his arms. "Why should I trust you, _my friend?"_

"I HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!" Ivor bellowed. "I'VE BEEN ON THIS EARTH TWICE AS LONG AS YOU HAVE…Er, maybe. How old are you?"

"Um, twenty-five," Sparcticus said, scratching his head in confusion.

"Oh, then I'VE BEEN AROUND _THREE TIMES _AS LONG AS YOU HAVE!" Ivor practically whooped with delight. "MORE OR LESS! SO, WHAT DO YOU SAY? WANT OLD UNCLE IVOR TO GIVE YOU A HAND?"

"Look, I don't even know what's wrong with me…" Sparcticus looked down at his drink. "My friends have been making me feel strange. Giving me this weird tightness in my chest…" He couldn't believe he was talking to someone who had been down a well for two years, but he was getting kind of desperate at this point. He couldn't exactly ask Eddie or Sahari for advice, either, considering they seemed to be the root of all of his problems.

"WHICH FRIENDS?"

Sparcticus winced. "Can you not scream…? I can hear you fine-"

"ANSWER MY QUESTIONS; MY VOLUME IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN, YOUNG MAN!"

Sparcticus narrowed his eyes, took a quick sip of his drink, and then sighed. "Fine. Eddie and Sahari. You probably don't know-"

"I DO! I SPECTATE EVERY P-FACTOR ROUND!" Ivor shouted. "EDDIE'S THAT SKINNY GUY WITH PURPLE HAIR AND SOME KIND OF MAGICAL VOICE, AND SAHARI'S THAT TEN YEAR OLD GIRL FROM THE DESERT!"

"She's not _ten,"_ Sparcticus cast a glance at Sahari, who was still talking to Eddie. "She's just really short."

"WHY SO DEFENSIVE?" Ivor asked extremely loudly. Sparcticus had no clue how Ivor didn't have a permanent case of laryngitis. "ARE YOU A FAN?"

"What now?" Something about Ivor made Sparcticus ask 'what?' a lot.

"I'VE SEE YOU TWO AT THE P-FACTOR! SHE USED TO BE MEAN TO YOU BUT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU TWO GOT ALONG FINE AND YOU STARTED FOLLOWING HER AROUND AFTER THE SHOWS!" Sparcticus could practically hear Ivor gesturing wildly. "DO YOU LIKE HER?"

"Of course, she's one of my best friends," Sparcticus couldn't help smiling a little.

"NO, I MEAN, DO YOU LIKE HER IN THE 'YOU WANT TO MARRY HER' SENSE?" Ivor sounded frustrated. "EVEN IF SHE OBVIOUSLY WOULDN'T BE A GOOD FIT TO BEAR YOUR ENORMOUS CHILDREN!"

"Oh geez, I don't know…" Sparcticus did his best to ignore Ivor's tactless comment. "Besides, I think Eddie likes-"

"AH! THERE IS YOUR PROBLEM RIGHT THERE!" Ivor victoriously applauded himself. "YOU ARE JEALOUS, MY FRIEND!"

"…that makes sense!" Sparcticus' eyes widened and he leaned a little closer to Ivor's camera. "I never really thought about Sahari like that before…but I guess I _could_ like her a bit more than I thought…" Sparcticus withdrew and stroked his beard. "What do you suppose I do? Should I confront, Eddie, or…?"

"IF I WERE YOU," Ivor yelled. "I WOULD SUGGEST A THREESOME!"

Sparcticus actually gasped and threw his glass down the well as hard as he could. He heard a loud _crash! _as it hit the bottom.

"OW, NOW THERE IS BROKEN GLASS EVERYWHERE! IT IS VERY DARK AND I CAN'T SEE WHERE IT IS!" Ivor sure liked to state the obvious. "THIS IS AN ISSUE!"

"I'm done with you," Sparcticus' voice was ice-cold. "I don't need some lunatic in a well to help me solve my problems."

"SUIT YOURSELF, MY SHORT-TEMPERED FRIEND!" Ivor shouted. "BUT IT WOULD BE IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO CONSIDER MY-"

Sparcticus glared right into the Piñata Vision Camera lens.

"EEP. NEVER MIND! GOOD LUCK TO YOU!"

"Thank you," Sparcticus didn't really mean it. He turned around to head back to Sahari's table.

_Good, she's all alone now,_ Sparcticus swallowed. _I hope I have the guts to confront her…_


	10. Chapter 10

Dastardos was still brooding away in his corner, a frown on his face beneath his witch mask. At least he got some kind of sick amusement out of watching Seedos attempt to dance with his girlfriend. Leena had tripped over her own feet and fallen over, knocking Seedos to the ground with her. Dastardos couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but he could tell that Leena was apologizing profusely. Seedos just chuckled, slid out from under Leena, staggered to his feet, and offered her a hand.

_Ugh, he's way too forgiving,_ Dastardos shook his head. _He doesn't get mad if someone knocks him over and he doesn't get mad if his newly-corrupted brother spooks him so much that he spends the rest of his childhood in a disgusting swamp._ Dastardos still didn't understand how Seedos didn't hate him with every fiber of his being.

Dastardos heard high heels clicking towards him and he turned to see where the noise was coming from._ Speaking of hating with every fiber of one's being…_

Pester was sashaying up to Dastardos, a huge grin on his overly made-up mask. "There you are…George!" Pester winked and Dastardos rolled his eyes. "Are you having fun?"

"Define 'fun,'" Dastardos seethed and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I still think you should have left me home, Pester-"

"Uh-uh-uh," Pester shook a manicured finger in Dastardos' face. "Tonight, I'm 'Priscilla,' _remember?"_

"Fine, _Priscilla…_because you haven't even needed me for anything at all," Dastardos regretted that Pester couldn't tell how hard he was glaring behind his mask. "I've just been floating in this corner the _whole entire time."_

"Well, you never know!" Pester shrugged, his enormous fake breasts bouncing a bit with the gesture. Dastardos felt the unfamiliar urge to heave. "Better safe than sorry and all that! Anyway," he folded his hands under his chin. "I came over because I have _amazing_ news-my eyes are up here, darling," Pester lifted up Dastardos' chin to avert his gaze from Pester's false chest, which he was staring at in utter horror.

"Please don't touch me," Dastardos floated backwards a couple feet until he hit the wall.

"Aren't you going to ask me what my incredible news is?" Pester fluttered his eyelashes.

"What is your incredible news?" Dastardos said patronizingly, as if he was talking to a four year old.

"See that piñata over there?" Pester slipped an arm around Dastardos' shoulders and turned him to face a table in the middle of the room.

Atop that table was the saddest looking piñata Dastardos had ever seen. It was blob-shaped, plump, and a pale yellow color. It had tiny little stump arms that apparently made it very difficult to eat, judging by how the piñata kept dropping the celery stick it was holding.

"Yes, I see it," Dastardos nodded. "It looks sick…do you want me to break it?" Dastardos reached for The Whacking Stick in its hiding place within his tangled mess of hair.

_"No!"_ Pester struck Dastardos on his reaching arm. Dastardos, of course, didn't feel a thing, but he rolled his eyes and returned that arm to his side. _"Do you want us to be given away?"_ He grabbed both of Dastardos' shoulders and gave him a firm shake.

"At this point I'm willing to do anything to spice up this bore of a party," Dastardos admitted, half-smiling.

"There will be no 'spicing' from you this evening, my most malicious minion!" Professor Pester turned towards the piñata at the table again and gave a little wave.

The piñata responded by lighting up and waving one of its little stub arms excitedly.

"See that?" Pester grinned broadly. "He's completely _enchanted _by me!"

_Huh, poor thing must have cataracts…_ Dastardos reached under his witch mask to scratch his head. _Does that count as a sickness? I really feel like I should put it out of its misery…_ "What species is it? I don't recognize-"

"He's one-of-a-kind!" Pester practically squealed. "His name is Jeffe and he used to be a _person!_ He ran Piñata Central when I was a lad!"

"A _person?"_ Dastardos squinted hard at Jeffe. "Looks more like some kind of disgustingly flavored jellybean to me."

"His history doesn't matter, though, he's a piñata now, and you know what that means!" Pester rubbed his hands together. "It means he's full of delicious _candy!"_ Pester didn't even give Dastardos a chance to reply. "And, since he's so taken with 'Priscilla…'" Pester ran a hand down one of his thighs in what he probably thought was a sensual manner. "…I'm going to get him to come home with me tonight!"

"EEW," Dastardos' eyes widened. "WHY?"

Pester giggled and patted Dastardos on his hat. "Relax, I have an ulterior motive! You underestimate me, Dastardos! I'm insulted!" Pester drew back, putting his hands on his hips and pouting.

Dastardos sighed and buried his mask in his hands. "And that is…?"

"I'm going to lure Jeffe in with my _feminine charms,_ and when he joins me at my lair this evening…I'll break him open and take all of his delicious candy for myself!" Pester bounced with joy in more ways than one.

When Dastardos was done staving off the urge to retch, he squinted at Pester. "That's not fair, why do _you _get to break him?"

"Because I came up with this plan and you didn't!" Pester squinted right back, lowering his voice and leaning closer to his minion. "You could only break him open if you wore my costume and seduced him yourself. Do you _want_ to do that, Dastardos?"

Dastardos shook his head so vigorously that he actually felt a bit dizzy.

"I thought so," Pester stood up straight and adjusted his bosom. "Anyway, I'm off! Toodles!" He waved his fingers at Dastardos before skipping over to Jeffe.

Dastardos sighed and leaned against the wall, his arms sinking into it momentarily. As he pulled his arms out of the wall, he watched his boss 'flirt' with the tiny piñata man. The way Jeffe's face lit up when Pester flipped his hair convinced Dastardos that Jeffe really _was_ sick. Might not be sick in the body, but he was sure sick in the head.

_Can I break piñatas that are sick in the head?_ Dastardos crossed his recently de-walled arms. _I should ask 'Priscilla' if that's in my job description once this stupid party is done…_

Dastardos snuck another peek at his boss. Pester had picked up Jeffe and was hugging him to his chest as he ran over to the dance floor. The song was a slow, calm number, crooned by Gretchen, who had bet Bart 500 CC that she could sing decently. She certainly could, much to Dastardos' relief. A terrible singer on the karaoke stage would have made the scene before him all the worse.

He was broken out of his fog by a voice next to him. "You're _still _in this corner?"

Dastardos spun to face the voice and found Seedos again, one hand on his hip and the other holding a cup of juice.

Dastardos glared at his brother. _"What did I say about bothering me?"_ he growled through cringed teeth.

"Psh, relax," Seedos took a nonchalant sip of juice. "No one at this party is concerned with you nor me."

"Don't you have a girlfriend to bother?" Dastardos scanned the dance floor for any sign of Leena.

"She's not quite my girlfriend," Seedos said, scratching his head. "And she wanted to talk to Avalon."

Dastardos finally located Leena, standing by one of the food tables with Avalon, who completely towered over her. Leena was gesturing enthusiastically, a nauseatingly joyous smile on her face.

"Awwww," Dastardos said with mock pity. "Your girl ditched you already? How sad for you. Go cry outside and leave me alone, please."

"She didn't _ditch_ me; she wanted to talk to her friend!" Seedos defended. "She doesn't have to hover around me the whole night, you know!"

"Forgive me, I must have been mistaken," Dastardos put a bony hand over his heart, making a face at his brother behind his mask.

"Oh yes, that's right," Seedos finished his cup of juice. "I forgot that you have next to no experience with the fairer sex." His words stung Dastardos a bit, but his tone was playful.

"I'm already married to my job, anyway," Dastardos clenched his teeth again, glancing at Leena. "What's-her-name isn't exactly worth bragging about, you know!"

Seedos gave Dastardos a flat look. "Your tactless comments aren't going to scare me away, you know," his tone was as flat as his expression.

Dastardos hunched over. "What the _hell_ do you want from me, Seedos?"

"Nothing," Seedos leaned against the wall and grinned at his brother.

Dastardos noticed that Seedos still had an enormous gap between his front teeth. That had been Dastardos'-or rather, Stardos'- fault; back when they were children they had gotten into a bit of a tiff over whose piñata could do a better trick. Stardos had ended the fight when he hit his little brother in the face with a nearby shovel, screwing up his newly grown front teeth beyond repair. Not only had Stardos left a physical scar, but he had left an emotional one too. Dastardos knew very, very well that Seedos had developed a crippling fear of shovels thanks to that incident. He still felt a little pride well up in his chest when he thought of it…

"I just feel like we should catch up a bit…" Seedos said, jolting Dastardos out of his little flashback.

"'Catch up?'" Dastardos chuckled darkly and lowered his voice so only Seedos could hear. "Really, Seedos? 'Catch up?' You're talking to the guy who gave you that hideous gap in your teeth, who scared you so badly that you ran off into a disgusting swamp and stayed there for years, who kills hundreds of ailing piñatas a week…!" Dastardos was doing his best to sound unnerving, but Seedos' expression remained unchanged. "Why would you want to 'catch up' with someone like me, hmm?"

Seedos sighed. "Please, that incident was over _ten years ago._ I'm completely over it," Seedos took a step closer to his brother. "I thought you would be too, but obviously you're not. Strange, I always considered you to be the most mature member of the family." Seedos' voice caught. "Guess I was wrong."

Dastardos said nothing for a few seconds and Seedos shook his head.

"I'll leave you alone if that's what you want," Seedos' expression softened. "I won't try to reach out to you again. Are you happy?"

"Very," Dastardos finally spoke, his voice slightly shaky. _Why was it shaky?_

"…Good," Seedos bit his lip before heading off, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"Drama queen…" Dastardos murmured to himself, leaning up against the wall, trying to ignore the small, painful tugs in his heart.


	11. Chapter 11

Sparcticus had made it halfway to Sahari's table before he cluckled out. Now he was leaning against the wall, a hand over his pounding heart.

This wasn't like him. He _never_ gets nervous about anything. Not when he's onstage at the P-Factor, not when someone tries to start an argument with him, and not when a predatory piñata slinks into his garden. He had always kept a cool head in any situation life threw at him…what was it about Sahari that made his cold front completely thaw?

The more Sparcticus thought about it, the more he realized that the lunatic in the well might have a point. Not about the threesome idea, but about Sparcticus actually liking Sahari as more than just a friend. Sparcticus glanced over at her. She was leaning forward in her chair, her chin in her hands and an amused smile on her face as she looked over at the dance floor.

What a cute smile she had. Sparcticus always thought so. Whether she had her mask on or off, her impish grin was undeniably adorable, even when she was wearing an oversized mustache and had most of her hair tucked up into a top hat. No one really knew it, but Sparcticus always had a soft spot for cute things, much preferring to spend time with his smaller piñatas than his large ones. He couldn't deny that he found Sahari's diminutive stature extremely appealing.

If only his heart would stop throbbing, he would stride right over to her and confront her about how 'friendly' she's been with Eddie.

_Okay, Sparcticus..._ Sparcticus thought, crossing his arms. _You can do this. It's just Sahari. She's your friend. You shouldn't be scared of-_

His thoughts screeched to a halt when Sahari noticed him standing in the corner, squinted at him, and then beckoned him over.

_Oh man,_ Sparcticus swallowed. _Guess I have no choice now…_ He felt sweat beading on his forehead as he ambled over to Sahari.

"Where have you been?" Sahari put her hands on her hips. "How long does it take to get a drink? You better not have gotten sloshed."

Sparcticus rolled his eyes in spite of his hammering heart. "Sahari, I walked over to you without falling on my face, didn't I? I never 'get sloshed.'" Sparcticus looked around a bit. "Where'd Eddie go?"

"He ran off to talk to Maxime," Sahari pointed over her shoulder at a table across the room, where Eddie was sitting and looking a bit uncomfortable as Doctor Patchingo optimized the conversation and Maxime's attention. "You didn't hear this from me, but Eddie's _completely _hung up on her," Sahari whispered, her trademark impish grin spreading across her face. "That song he sang earlier was aimed at her and everything!" She leaned back and twirled her moustache. "If you ask me, though, I have don't think he's her type. She likes her men big, and Eddie's a total twig. I bet if you so much as tapped Eddie his spine would break…why are you smiling like that, Sparty?"

Sparcticus couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Eddie likes…Maxime?" he said after a moment, trying to hide his relief and joy.

"_Duh, _Sparty," Sahari laughed. "Didn't you ever notice that dumb face Eddie makes whenever someone so much as _mentions _her? He's got it really, really bad!"

"Then that means you…" Sparcticus began, his brain hitting a road-block mid-sentence. As much as he wanted to, something stopped him from speaking his mind to Sahari. Fine, he'd just have to push by it…

"That means I what?" Sahari tilted her head to the side questioningly.

_Be subtle, Sparcticus,_ Sparcticus thought before taking a deep breath and saying: "That means you don't have any feelings for Eddie, right?" _Damn it._

Sahari stared at Sparcticus in disbelief. "A-are you serious?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Completely…" Sparcticus suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

A huge smile suddenly spread across Sahari's face and she burst into loud, boisterous laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" Sparcticus had to raise his voice to be heard over Sahari's hysterics.

"You think I have a thing for _EDDIE?"_ Sahari said through her laughter. "No offense, Sparty, but are you CRAZY?"

"I just-"

"You are a total nutbar, I swear!" Sahari giggled, her convulsive laughter dying down. "What the hell would even make you think _that? _Eddie might be cute, but he's not even close to my type!"

"Well, earlier…" Sparcticus' face was rapidly turning red. "…the way the two of you were acting…I mean, I thought he was outright _flirting _with you when I left!"

"Of course he wasn't!" Sahari laughed again. "We were just being buddy-buddy, and he was talking about _Maxime_ when you left, not me." Sahari scooted her chair closer to Sparcticus, her smile turning into a smirk. "Why are you worrying about this so much, buddy? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Sparcticus felt his heart leap and he found himself nodding. "Y-yes, but not here. Can we go outside?"

Sahari's smile fell as she came to the realization that Sparcticus really _was_ dead serious. "Okay then," she said, rising to her feet. "Let's go."

The starry autumn night was more than a bit chilly. Mothdrops fluttered around the orange lights that were hung all over the P-Factor building, their papery fuzz fluttering in the breeze. Sahari and Sparcticus sat on a bench outside the building, Sahari shivering with her arms wrapped around herself.

"Geez, Sparty, it's _freezing_ out here!" her teeth chattered as she fixed him with a glare. "Can you hurry and tell me what you need to tell me, please?"

"It's not_ that_ cold…" Sparcticus fiddled with his hands, his eyes on the Mothdrops. "And it's a little hard to put what I want to say into words, Sahari."

"Just spit it out!" Sahari stood up and grabbed Sparcticus' head, turning it to face her. "You never need to beat around the bush with me, you know! We're friends!"

Sparcticus half-smiled. "You're right…" He took a deep breath. "We are friends…and I've been meaning to tell you all night that I don't really think that's enough…"

Sahari's hands fell to her sides and her jaw dropped in disbelief. "So you're saying that you're _in love_ with me?"

Sparcticus' eyes widened. "That's a bit-"

"Sparty!" Sahari stayed on her feet, her look of disbelief turning into a sheepish grin. "Do you have _any idea_ how long I've been thinking the same thing?"

"Wait, you're actually in _love_ with me?" Sparcticus pointed to himself, a brow raised. "How long have-?"

"MONTHS!" Sahari threw her hands up. "Remember when we got stuck in the forest together?"

"Yes, that was back in June," Sparcticus nodded.

"Ever since then!" Sparcticus saw a hint of pink on Sahari's tanned cheeks. "Earlier in the day, I was yelling about how much you made me mad and Eddie told me that I wouldn't have such fierce feelings towards you if there wasn't some romantic interest," Sahari shook her head. "I didn't believe him, but I was thinking about it all day. So, naturally, when I ran into you in the jungle on my way home it was _still_ on my mind…when we got out of there and we talked, I fell pretty damn hard for you, I'm not going to lie…" It was Sahari's turn to fiddle with her hands as she anticipated Sparcticus' reply.

"All this time…" Sparcticus' eyes widened a bit. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Y-you always struck me as the type who didn't care much for mushy stuff," Sahari confessed. "So I kept it to myself and it kind of dwindled…but now that you told me that you might like me as more than a friend, it came back full force!" Sahari's eyes met Sparcticus' and she smiled. "I hope you don't mind me punching you in the face with my feelings like this."

"No, no, it's fine, believe me, it's just fine!" Sparcticus said, reaching for Sahari's hand. "It's just a big surprise…wow…"

"What do you say, then?" Sahari, still standing, took Sparcticus' hand. "Do you think that this could work?" She looked hopeful.

"I think it could if we do our best," Sparcticus smiled broadly at Sahari.

Sahari gave a whoop of joy and wrapped her arms around Sparcticus in an enormous, tight hug. Sparcticus returned the embrace, pulling Sahari closer to him.

Sahari pulled back after a moment, smiled mischievously at Sparcticus, and lunged forward again.

Sparcticus had never anticipated that his first kiss would be with a girl who was wearing a fake mustache, but he wasn't about to complain. Sahari was full of surprises, and that was one of the many reasons he had an immense fondness for her.


	12. Chapter 12

"…and then I yanked the Galagoogoo right out from under Dastardos!" Doctor Patchingo mimed doing just that, a serious expression on his face. "I healed it right in front of him! He was so mad he actually almost threw that stick of his down before he floated away, that coward!" Patch barked a laugh.

Eddie leaned back in his seat a bit. Every time Patch had come by to heal one of Eddie's piñatas (which wasn't very often, Eddie takes _excellent_ care of his beloved reptiles) he had been a stuttering, nervous wreck. Patch's personality completely changed outside of his profession, it seemed, especially when he was talking about his arch-rival Dastardos!

"Psh, just a little Galagoogoo?" Maxime chuckled. "Don't you have any stories where you pulled a Jeli or something away from Dastardos? That would be tremendously more impressive!"

Doc Patchingo hunched over a bit. "N-no, I don't…"

"I thought so…" Maxime sighed, twirling a straw around in her drink.

"You're hard to impress, Maxime…" Doc Patch admitted, burying his face in his hands.

_Tell me about it!_ Eddie ached to say, having attempted to impress Maxime many, _many_ times since she ditched the oversized bird suit of hers many months ago.

"Eddie," Maxime raised her eyes to meet his and he stiffened at the sound of his name. "You're being quiet. That's new."

"I was letting Doctor Patchingo tell his story," Eddie folded his hands on the table, raising an eyebrow at Maxime. "It's common courtesy."

"Huh, I expected you to interrupt quite a few times!" Maxime said before taking a sip of her drink.

Eddie narrowed his eyes at her. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You_ are_ very opinionated, Eddie," Patch added. "You always interrupt the other judges at P-Factor."

Eddie turned red. "I-I just have a lot to say!" He jumped to his own defense.

"Flapyak shit," Maxime said flatly, pointing her straw at Eddie.

_Such ugly language from such a beautiful girl!_ It took everything in Eddie's power not to gasp. _I'll have to teach her a bit of class one day…those brutish brothers of hers must have an awful influence on her!_

"You're blushing like crazy. You're making that up, aren't you?" Maxime accused, smirking a bit.

Eddie swallowed. "Maybe. I'm not like that usually, I swear! I just get really excited during competitions…" He turned even redder.

"We all do, Eddie," Patch patted him on the arm. "It's just that most of us know how to exercise self-control."

What nerve! Eddie didn't expect this from Doctor Patchingo. Embarrassing him in front of Maxime, how dare-

"Oh, Doc Patch, I don't know about THAT," Maxime chuckled. "Cut Eddie some slack."

Eddie beamed gratefully at her.

"I mean, have you BEEN to the P-Factor? We might have to dress up fancy, but it really does bring out the worst in people!" Maxime continued, gesticulating wildly.

"Well, I-I don't get to go t-too often, I'm so busy with my work…" Doctor Patchingo stuttered. He really wasn't used to being shot down by women.

"I'm not even going to lie," Eddie shook his head. "You're very correct, Maxime. Especially since my father is a bit too forgiving and he lets those brutes Pester and Dastardos enter if they want to!"

Maxime laughed loudly. "You are _so _right! Remember when Sahari tried to tackle Dastardos when he said her S'morepion looked like it was ready to drop dead at any minute?"

"How could I _forget?"_ Eddie cradled his head at the memory. "She went flying right through him and hit the wall, face first!"

"And the audience couldn't decide whether to laugh or gasp…!" Maxime cracked up. "That was _amazing."_

"That's one word for it…" Eddie half-smiled. "Sahari was so angry; she actually threatened to sue us until I told her Dastardos was the one she should be suing. She completely dropped the matter right then."

"Smart move on Sahari's part," Maxime snorted. "If Dastardos was taken to court, I bet he'd swipe the gavel from the judge and slam it right into his accuser's head."

"Well," Patch suddenly stood up. "I'm all for poking fun at Dastardos, but I'm afraid I must take my leave." It was clear to Patch that he had lost this battle to Eddie, who was trying his hardest to hide his delight. "I just remembered that I need to ask Avalon something. Happy Halloween, you two!" Patch waved before heading off.

Maxime slouched. "Oh man, I thought he'd _never_ leave!"

"You don't like Patch?" Eddie asked, quietly celebrating inside his head.

Maxime let out a sharp sigh. "I don't know what got into him tonight, but I can't _stand_ how he normally is!" She tore into her last cookie. "All stuttery and shy…ugh, you figured he'd be tougher considering what he must see at work!"

"Yeah, he treats people too, doesn't he?" Eddie scratched his head.

"He does. How do you not know that? You don't get sick very often or something?" Maxime asked.

Eddie chuckled nervously. "My family has a private doctor, actually…"

"Oh, of course it does…" Annoyance flickered in Maxime's tone as she rested her cheek against her gloved hand.

_Darn it! _ Eddie thought. _Just when things were going my way…what on Earth does she have against rich people?_

"So, uhhh," Eddie tried his best to backpedal. "Your costume's really nice! Where did you get it?"

"Oh, this?" Maxime picked a piece of lint off of her skirt. "It was my mom's idea, but I made it myself."

"You _made_ that?" Eddie placed a hand over his heart. "I-it's amazing! Don't take this the wrong way, but you never struck me as the sewing type!"

"You know less about me than you think, Lizard," Maxime's tone was a bit cold, but she was smiling. "Yes, I know how to make clothes. I made my bird suit myself…it took me forever. I can't _believe _Petula had the nerve to destroy it on me…that bitch owes me _so_ much money…" Maxime growled, crossing her arms. "Anyway, I made most of the stuff I wear on a daily basis now, too. I wish I had more time for that hobby, but I'm the only one of my siblings who actually bothers to take care of the family garden…" Maxime grumbled the last part.

"Siblings?" Eddie blinked. "Are your parents around?"

"Yeah, but they're never around. They work two jobs each," Maxime began fiddling with her hair. "Trying to provide for my freeloading brothers. They won't get jobs; they won't even help me with the garden. I tell them that there's a lot of money in large piñata rearing if you do it right, but _noooo…"_ Maxime groaned. "I'm sorry, Eddie, you probably want to leave. I know you have better things to do than listen to me whine."

"No, no, it's quite all right!" Eddie was delighted; he was actually learning more about Maxime! Negative or not, it was nice to learn that Maxime was a hard worker. _Much more than a pretty face…_ "Maxime, if you ever need help with anything-"

Maxime held up a hand to silence him. "Stop right there, buddy. I don't think you're tough enough to help me garden. The big piñatas don't take orders from anyone but me; I'm scared that my Chippopotamus would try to eat you if I so much as turned my back. Those things are fiercer than they look, you know!"

"I wasn't just talking about gardening," Eddie arched his brows, not really liking the idea of becoming a light snack for a Chippo. "You said you like to make clothes, right? And if that dress you're wearing is any indication, you're quite good at it!"

Maxime actually blushed a bit. "What are you getting at, buddy?" she asked.

"I don't know if you know this, but my mom's a fashion designer in the city," Eddie nodded. "If you ever make some clothes that you think are really good, I could ask her to come down and critique them for you. If she liked them, I'm sure she'd be able to see if they could be sold somewhere!" Eddie grinned hopefully. "There's a lot of money in that business, Maxime."

Maxime suddenly took immense interest in the table. "That's nice of you, but I told you, Eddie, I don't have that much time for sewing-"

"Hey, I know how to sew, too!" Eddie interjected. "I could help you if you ever find yourself with some free time. Two sets of hands are better than one, right?"

Maxime stared at Eddie for a long, long time. Ten years later she finally said: "That's…terribly generous …" she said, disbelief in her voice. "What's in it for you?"

"Am I not allowed to want to help you out of the goodness of my heart?" Eddie sounded a bit offended. "Honestly, I've always wanted to get to know you better. This gives me a chance to! Let me help you. _Please."_

"Oh, I know that, believe me," Maxime shook her head. "I'm not even going to lie, I could really use that help…" she actually gave Eddie a genuine smile.

_"Wonderful!"_ Eddie exclaimed, not even bothering to hide the blush in his voice. He grabbed a nearby napkin and pulled a pen out of his pocket, quickly scribbling something down. "I know you have the P-Factor office's number, but here's my_ personal_ number!" He presented the napkin to Maxime with an enormously overexcited flourish, and she delicately plucked it from his hand. "Call me whenever you have some free time." Eddie rose from his seat and stood by Maxime's side. "I'll bring any materials you might need, too," he smiled down at her. "I'll just be getting out of your hair now…" He made a move to leave.

"Wait a second!" Maxime rose from her seat and Eddie froze in his tracks.

"Yes?" he asked, turning to face her.

"T-thanks. For everything. I honestly didn't expect so much generosity from you…" Eddie was surprised to hear Maxime speak with a voice that was as small as she was. "You're a better guy than I thought." Maxime smiled up at Eddie.

"Any time, Maxime!" Eddie returned a much more glittery smile, expecting a hug. What he did get was a little pat on the arm and a wave goodbye before Maxime returned to her seat.

_Oh well,_ Eddie thought, resting a hand where Maxime had touched him, his heart glowing. _This is MUCH better than nothing!_


	13. Chapter 13

Seedos had an enormous headache, as he usually did when his stress levels reached immense heights. He had started the night in an amazing mood, actually feeling comfortable being social for once. His stress had spiked up over the course of the night for several different reasons.

First, his brother had completely dismissed him, in spite of Seedos' attempts to reach out to him. How could he be so ungrateful, especially after being completely _alone _for almost ten years? Seedos knew that what Dastardos said would bother him for the rest of his life.

Second, Yoto and Storkos had gone up to the karaoke stage and practically screamed a duet. Seedos should have been glad to see his sister enjoying herself, but it's really hard to feel happy for someone when they're practically making your eardrums bleed. Not to mention that Seedos wasn't too happy the fact that she had chosen _Yoto _of all people to hang out with…

Finally, Leafos had found Leena and Seedos sitting at a table together and had decided to sit down next to them and give Leena the third degree. She was still nattering on to this moment, grating at Seedos' nerves and no doubt terrifying Leena.

Seedos found himself wishing that he had brought aspirin more and more with each passing moment.

Leafos, dressed as an alien complete with a bug-eyed mask with oversized antennae, scooted her chair closer to Leena as she spoke.

"…anyway, I'm glad that you like my brother! I honestly never expected this to happen!" Leafos folded her green gloved hands adoringly. "I expected him to announce that he was going to marry his seed collection one day!"

"Seeds don't make very good lovers, Leafos," Seedos commented, leaning over to get a better view of his sister.

Leafos promptly burst into horrible laughter.

"Not that I would know!" Seedos shouted over her hysterics, his face flushing underneath his green face paint. "Come on Leafos, knock it off. Leena doesn't want to-"

"No, Seedos, it's fine," Leena smiled softly as Leafos recovered from her fit. "I like getting to know your family; they all seem really nice…"

Leafos shot her brother a slightly cocky grin and he responded by burying his face in his hands. "You're really nice too!" Leafos turned her attention back to Leena. "I suppose you'd have to be a saint to put up with Seedos…" Leafos whispered.

"I can hear you," grumbled Seedos' hand-muffled voice.

"Oh, Leafos, that _isn't_ nice," Leena frowned. "Seedos is a better person than you think; you just need to get to know him better."

Leafos clicked her tongue. "Leena, he is my _brother,_ I think I know him just fine."

"I just think you should treat him a little better…" Leena sighed. "Don't talk badly about him. He's your _brother-"_

Leena was interrupted by Storkos and Yoto swooping in, Storkos picking Seedos up right off of his chair and giving him a huge hug and Yoto doing the same to Leena.

"Seedos! Long time no see!" Storkos laughed. "Your costume is AWESOME; I didn't even recognize you until Yoto pointed you out!"

"Please," Seedos wheezed, squirming in Storkos' grasp. "Warn me before you just _grab_ me like this!"

"Oops, sorry!" Storkos let Seedos go and he landed rather ungracefully on the floor. Storkos apologized again as Seedos righted himself.

"What's with the puss face?" Yoto asked, peeking at Seedos over the top of Leena's head. "I thought you were feeling good tonight!"

"Not anymore," Seedos sat back down, slouching a bit in the chair.

"What the hell happened?" Yoto asked.

"Um, he told me something bad happened to him," Leena said, managing to free herself from Yoto's arms.

"Really?" Leafos' ears pricked up. "And what was that?"

"T-that's all he told me…" Leena fiddled with her skirt. "He doesn't want to talk about it, s-so I didn't want to pry…"

Leafos smiled as sweetly as she could at her brother. "Seedos…?"

"What? It's nothing!" Seedos sighed. "Absolutely nothing…" He snuck a quick look at Dastardos, who was still in his corner. He stuck out a leg and tripped a passing Weedling, instantly pretending that he was just an innocent decoration as soon as the hapless Helper fell.

"Doesn't seem like nothing!" Storkos planted her hands on her hips.

"I've never _seen_ you so upset!" Leafos gasped and covered her mouth with a hand. "Not since that sour Shellybean got into your seed stash! Come on; tell us what has you so down!"

Seedos buried his face in his hands once again. "Please don't pry…"

Leena tentatively rested a hand on one of Seedos' reed-covered shoulders. "You don't have to tell them if you don't want to, Seedos…"

"But-" Storkos and Leafos protested in unison.

Leena tried to glare at them but wound up looking like a Mousemallow that just had its tail stepped on.

"Come on, ladies," Yoto edged into the conversation. "Seedos is a tough coconut to crack. As much as I want to know too, all you guys will get from bugging him is a whole lot of headache." _I know from experience,_ he ached to add, but he didn't want Storkos to know that he made a habit of teasing her little brother.

"If you say so…" Storkos sighed and put her hand on Seedos' other shoulder. "Remember that you can always talk to me whenever you want to, Seedos. Just Alert me and I'll help you the best I can." She said, her tone affectionate.

"Uh-huh," Seedos said dismissively, his face still in his hands.

Leafos rolled her eyes. "Fine, Seedos, be a party pooper. I'll find out one way or another…" she smiled mischievously and found herself on the receiving end of another one of Leena's pathetic scowls. "You wouldn't happen to keep a journal, would you?"

"Leafos, that is none of your business," Yoto said, attempting to sound authoritative but he wound up sounding more than a bit like his uncle Bart. Storkos beamed gratefully at him and Yoto quietly celebrated inside. _ Exactly what he was hoping for!_

Seedos finally came up from his mopey posture and fixed Yoto with a flat, disbelieving look. Yoto just winked and grinned at him in reply.

Leafos held up her hands in defeat. "I don't know what made you suddenly decide to be nice to my brother, Yoto, but fine. If all of you are going to be boring, I'll leave," She rose from her seat and made good on her word.

"Ahahaha…I don't know what she was talking about!" Yoto gave Storkos the most innocent look he could muster before he scuttled off. He returned mere moments later with a songbook and dropped it on the table in front of Seedos with a loud _thunk!_

"You should sing, Seedos! It'd make you feel better!" Yoto suggested, his tone playful.

_"No,"_ Seedos pushed the songbook away.

"Ugh, fine," Yoto resisted the urge to call Seedos 'Captain Boring' again and slid the songbook in Leena's direction. "What about you?"

Leena suddenly became very pale. "A-are you crazy? I-I can't sing in front of all of these p-people!"

Yoto scoffed. "If you say so, Leena." He turned to Storkos. "How about you, Storkos? You want to sing another duet?" he asked with a grin in spite of Seedos' grumbled protests.

"I would love to, Yoto, but…" Storkos frowned a bit. "It's almost midnight, so the party will be ending soon…"

"What? Really? Already?" Each of Yoto's words was punctuated by his eyes getting increasingly wider.

"Oh, thank God…" Seedos sounded relieved. "I seriously need some rest…"

"A-are you sure you'll be okay, Seedos?" Leena turned to Seedos, her wide eyes full of worry. "Like Leafos said, I've never seen you this upset…"

"I'll be fine…" Seedos gave Leena a reassuring pat on the hand, and she positively glowed. "Like I said, I just need some rest."

"I don't need _any_ rest!" Yoto interrupted, jumping enthusiastically. "I have enough energy left for _ten_ more parties! In a _row!_"

Eddie stepped down from his third visit from the karaoke stage, but not before whispering something to the DJ, who nodded and began playing another song.

"And now they're playing The Time Warp!" Yoto joyously exclaimed, offering his hand to Storkos. "Shall we?"

Storkos laughed and took Yoto's hand. "Do you even have to ask?"

Yoto and Storkos rushed over to the crowded dance floor, leaving Leena and Seedos alone.

"Where does he get all of that energy?" Seedos asked, turning to squint at Yoto, who was jumping to the left and then taking a step to the riii-iiii-iiight.

"I think it might be because of Storkos…" Leena scratched her chin.

"Storkos? Why?" Seedos turned to give Leena a questioning look.

"Oh, you don't know?" Leena asked, beginning to fiddle with her skirt nervously. "It's really obvious…Yoto's had a giant crush on her for as long as he can remember…"

Seedos gazed at Leena in disbelief. "You're joking."

Leena shook her head. "Oh, no…I'm not."

Seedos let out a groan as he rested his head on the table again. He wasn't aware that headaches this powerful even existed…


	14. Chapter 14

As soon everyone was finished doing The Time Warp, Eddie's father had stepped up to the karaoke stage, his son at his side. Each of them took a microphone from the DJ and gave the audience their best smiles.

"Did everyone have fun this evening?" Eddie asked and the partygoers burst into rousing, affirmative cheers.

"NOPE!" Except for Dastardos.

"Glad to hear it!" Eddie's father picked up where his son left off, ignoring Dastardos' comment. "We're going to wrap things up with costume awards!"

"All of you look absolutely amazing, but we've chosen those who went above and beyond our costume standards!" Eddie grinned, his eyes scanning the crowd.

"The invitation didn't say anything about a contest…!" Yoto had never felt so excited over something Eddie said. He always loved a good competition, plus if he won something Storkos would be impressed! He glanced over at Avalon when he heard her loud laughter. She looked more than a bit tipsy, leaning on a buffet table in convulsive hysterics at something Bart said. "Avvie loves to compete; I bet she would have dressed up if she knew about this!"

"…I think it's best that Avalon _doesn't_ go up to the stage…" Storkos sounded worried. "She looks a little…"

"Sloshed?" Yoto laughed. "I bet that it'd be funny, though!"

"First up!" Eddie waved a small, folded card around. "Is 'Most Appropriate Costume!' This award goes to the person whose outfit most fits who they are as a person!" Eddie handed the card to his father and he unfolded it.

"The winner is…" Eddie's father read off the card. "Seedos…huh, the last name seems to be smudged!"

"That's you!" Leena whispered to Seedos excitedly, elbowing him gently in the ribs.

"Huh, so it is!" Seedos rose from his seat and headed for the stage, surprised by the amount of applause that greeted him.

"Congratulations!" Eddie said, handing Seedos a small bag of candy and a certificate.

"Thank you…?" Seedos said as he took them.

"And how do you feel about earning this award?" Eddie shoved his microphone under Seedos' chin.

"Honestly, I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted…" Seedos confessed, actually earning a few chuckles from the audience.

"Be flattered, it's all in good fun!" Eddie's dad gave Seedos a hearty clap on the back, nearly knocking him over.

As Seedos headed back to his seat, Eddie's dad pulled another card from his pocket. "Next up is 'Most Original Costume,' which is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin!" He unfolded the card and chuckled at what he saw. "Avalon Pendragonache, get up here!"

"Damn it, _no fair!"_ Pester slammed his fist into the table. "I was sure I had that award _in the bag!_ That bitch isn't even wearing a costume!"

"Don't worry, Priscilla…" Jeffe stroked Pester's hand with one of his little stub arms affectionately. "You win all of the awards in my book!"

Pester giggled and patted Jeffe on the head. "Oh, you flatterer!"

Avalon stumbled up to the stage, using Doc Patchingo as a support. Eddie's eyes widened when he saw the state Avalon was in, but Eddie's father just looked amused.

"Here you are, Avalon," Eddie's father held out the bag of candy and certificate and Patch took them, a concerned frown on his face. "Mind telling the audience what exactly you're dressed as?" He held his microphone up to Avalon.

"I'm –HIC- a 'omicidal maniac," Avalon slurred into the microphone.

"A…homicidal maniac…" Eddie repeated.

"Yes, they look –HIC!- just like everyone else," Avalon nodded, using a sweeping gesture to indicate the crowd. Everyone in the audience laughed nervously, except for Dastardos, who burst into full-blown hysterics. His mood was really lifting now that the party was coming to a close!

"Well, congrats!" Eddie's dad grinned at her and leaned a little closer to Patch. "Be careful with her when you lead her back, please…" he whispered.

"I'm a doctor, I've done this before," Patch nodded. "Come on, Avalon…" He shifted her around so she wasn't quite so slumped over before heading back to a table.

"Next we have 'Cutest Couple Costumes!'" Eddie opened yet another card and his face fell for a moment before he plastered a broken smile on his face. "Um, Yoto Yoa and Storkos…argh, this card's smudged too, sorry about that!"

"What, really?" Yoto gasped joyously, his face flushing.

"But we're not a-" Storkos shook her head. "Oh well, I bet we must have fooled everyone, what with our matching costumes! I'm just glad we won; come on, Yoto!" She grabbed onto Yoto's wrist and he practically floated along behind her.

"Hey, thanks, Eddie!" Yoto laughed as he stepped onto the stage, snatching both bags of candy and certificates from him and handing one of each to Storkos. "Didn't expect to get an award from _you!"_ Yoto laughed and gave Eddie an athletic slap on the butt.

Eddie scoffed, his face reddening. He leaned in to hiss a whisper: _"It was my father's idea; I still don't like you or anything."_

"If you say so!" Yoto grabbed the microphone from Eddie and grinned at the crowd. "You guys have _no idea _how honored I am to be up here with Storkos right now! I really appreciate the award, Eddie and…Eddie's dad!" Yoto turned to smile at them. Eddie's dad winked at him and Eddie just crossed his arms.

Storkos was a bit confused. She had no idea that she was so much of a celebrity that a person would be honored to spend time with her when they had just met that evening…oh well, it made her a bit happy to be recognized!

_"Please _let us move on, Yoa," Eddie squinted at the redhead and Yoto made a big show of blowing him a kiss before taking off, Storkos in following close behind.

Eddie and Eddie's father awarded a bunch more partygoers. Bart won 'Most Hilariously Ironic Costume' for his Santa Claus outfit, Maxime won 'Most Flattering Costume' for her Belle dress (almost glaring a hole through Eddie when she realized just what her costume flattered), Arfur won 'Most Bizarre' for his full Moozipan suit, Petula won 'Least Amount of Fabric Used' (and actually took the award as a compliment), and Eddie's dad had turned to his son at the end and declared his elaborate Peckanmix costume the 'Most Outrageous.'

Once the awards were done, everyone filed out the door. Dastardos floated behind Pester, who was carrying an ecstatic Jeffe under one arm. Yoto was sulking, disappointed with the fact that he probably wouldn't get to speak with Storkos again for a very, very long time. Seedos was yawning, looking forward to getting home and passing out in bed without bothering to wash off his face paint. Leena was pattering along behind him. Avalon was laughing hysterically at nothing, being held up by both Doc Patchingo and Bart. Sparcticus and Sahari left hand-in-hand, which did not go unnoticed by both Leafos and Petula. Maxime gave Eddie a little wave goodbye before she left and Eddie, not used to displays of affection from the girl of his dreams, had to make an honest effort to make sure his wobbly knees didn't give out. Ivor remained in the corner of the room. He didn't like to move his well when there were people around…

"Thanks so much for letting me throw this party, Dad!" Eddie gave his father an enormous hug once the room cleared out. "It was the most fun I've ever had!"

"Glad to hear it, Eddie!" His father ruffled his hair. "You almost never slow down and enjoy yourself, so it made me happy to see you finally do that." Eddie's father fished in a pocket for his Alert System. "I'm going to call our cleaning ladies. You can head on home if you like."

"Okay, Dad, see you later!" Eddie nodded before heading outside.

As soon as Eddie stepped outside, he heard an extremely loud scream in the distance.

"Eugh…" Eddie shuddered. "M-must have been a man getting scared by a trick or something... It is Halloween, after all!" Eddie paid it no mind and continued on his trek home.

What Eddie had heard was Pester standing on one of the many decks of his lair that overlooked the Island, still dressed in his Priscilla garb and holding Jeffe in a death grip.

"What do you _MEAN_ you don't have any candy?" Pester screamed right into Jeffe's face, his sharp fake nails digging into Jeffe's papery sides.

"I-I-I'm not a candy advocate! Candy's the reason I-I'm like t-this, you know…!" Jeffe was shaking, his glassy eyes wide.

"I CANNOT LOVE A MAN THAT DOESN'T LOVE CANDY!" Pester shook Jeffe a bit and tears pricked the corners of Jeffe's eyes.

"I-I still love you even if you love candy! We can make this work! I _want_ to make this work!" Jeffe sobbed pathetically and Pester's glare just became even more intense.

"Sorry, Charlie," Pester growled, completely dropping his Priscilla voice. He threw Jeffe up into the air and kicked him as hard as he could into the jungle below.

"I LOVE YOU, !" Jeffe yelled as he fell to the ground.

Pester spat after him and crossed his arms. Dastardos came out of the lair, dressed in his still vomit-stained scarf and sweater.

"I _told _you that party was a waste of time. Ah well. Easy come, easy go, boss!" Dastardos shrugged with a smirk as Pester crumpled to the ground, crying hysterically.


End file.
